By Gail Parsons
DCNT News Editor
The Family Resource Exchange in Herington helps households with a variety of financial needs including utilities. In a city where $500-a-month electric bills are not uncommon, they will often dole out hundreds of dollars a month. In September alone FRE gave about $1,000 in utility assistance to help Herington residents.
Now there are questions about how they will pay their own electric bill.
The city covers the cost of utilities for FRE, the library, museum, fair building and the recreation commission’s portion of the Hilltop Rec Center. However, that practice has recently come under question by city commissioners.
Of the five agencies, the FRE’s utility bill is the highest — year-to-date the city has paid $2,600, said City Manager Brandon Dross. Totals for the others were not available.
Background
In 2012, city officials supported the FRE’s move out of a city-owned building and into a new place. At the non-profit’s original location, the city gave an in-kind contribution of space and utilities. When they moved, according to a letter from then-city manager Ron Strickland, the city agreed to pay up to $2,500 in utilities each year. However, a caveat was that the FRE was to submit an annual request for the funding at budget time.
That hasn’t happened for several years.
When asked about the letter at the City Commission’s Oct. 4 meeting, Family Resource Exchange board president Phyllis Perry, said her understanding was that after a few years of submitting the letter, board members were verbally told it wasn’t necessary. The city continued with the contributions every year despite not having the letter.
Questioning the practice
While previous discussions about the utility billing practices at commission meetings in August and September included all five entities that receive free electricity, the Oct. 4 agenda singled out the FRE. After hearing from several residents who expressed support for the FRE, Mayor Eric Gares clarified his stance.
“When I originally brought up a discussion regarding utility billing practices, it was not just to aim at any one organization,” he said. “There are five organizations that we currently pay utilities for. We also charge everybody else in full for their utilities. The city does not have a policy on how to give donations to nonprofits or how to give utility assistance to nonprofits or anybody for that matter.”
Gares said he does not want the city to give free utilities without a policy in place to quantify how an organization qualifies for the donation.
Does FRE deserve free electricity?
Perry told the commission about the breadth of services the all-volunteer organization provides and to whom. In answering a question she had heard prior to the meeting, she said one-third of her 12-person board lives within a 15-mile radius of Herington, which is their service area.
“Philanthropy starts at home and home for us who do not live in Herington is that 15-mile radius,” she said. “You may not come to our town; you may not have been there for years but we do consider you part of our family.”
Giving figures from the past few years, she said. In 2019, of the 283 families, the FRE helped, five were from outside the city limits; in 2020 four of the 956 were not in Herington; in 2021 three of the 270 were not in the city; so far this year they have helped two that are not in the city limits.
But, by including the 15-mile radius, they can offer help to those who would not otherwise fall in a service area for other similar organizations. Additionally, the vouchers they give are only for use in Herington.
Among the services FRE provides, besides utility assistance, are bus passes, dental care, glasses, prescription assistance, gas to help people get to work, and rental assistance.
So for this year they have given 58 food assists; $2,124.54 in vouchers to Barnes Heartland Foods in Herington; $4,311.39 in FRE funds; distributed $817.12 in funds from Catholic Charities; purchased $2,399.35 worth of Food from Kansas Food Bank; and distributed 5,800 pounds of food. They have served 133 adults, 124 children and 68 families.
The commissioners did not question the need for and the benefit of the FRE. However, one commissioner pointed out there are many other agencies that do good work but they don’t get free utilities.
“I don’t understand why you guys don’t pay your utilities and then the hospital does — they’re important to the community,” said Commissioner Vance Donahue. “The churches — they’re important to this community … they’re paying their utilities. I just want something fair across the board and I want to know the standard. I know we have a (nonprofit) daycare that’s crucial to this community, they’re paying their utility bills. So, That’s where I question why you get the Get Out of Jail Free Card when other nonprofits (don’t).”
Moving forward
After a lengthy discussion, Commissioner Debra Urbanek made a motion to keep everything status quo, and grandfather the five agencies in, at least until a policy is developed.
Attorney Brad Jantz said he could develop a draft policy to bring to the commission at its Oct. 18 meeting.
Commissioners agreed a policy is not a bad idea but remain at odds with who should qualify for assistance.
“I think if we were to look at whether we make a policy or not, or grandfather these five in … is everyone looking at what is put back into the community?” Urbanek said. “[FRE] pays sales tax on every little thing that they sell (at the thrift shop FRE operates) — that comes back to the city, the food vouchers, the gas vouchers, everything goes back into this community.”
She wants her fellow commissioners to think about the importance of the work the FRE does and have compassion and empathy for those who receive the help.
Donahue on the other hand said he has respect and appreciation for the work of the FRE and knows they are a valuable asset to Herington; however, in the interest of fairness he questions why only these five organizations get utility help.
“Let’s go back to how you guys voted when it came to raising the utilities,” he said. “I’m the only commissioner who voted every time against raising utilities. But now when somebody is trying to be fair across the board you’re sitting there saying, ‘Well, they get a pass.’ Why don’t we give the school a pass? They are crucial. Why don’t we give St. Paul Church (a pass), they do a lot for the community. Where do we draw the line? That’s all I’ve been asking.”